"Oi, Kenta."

"Hmm..."

"Kenta?"

"Hmm..."

"KENTA!"

The S14 driver blinked once, and then twice. "Uh... did you say something?" he asked his friend, who was sitting across the table with a look on his face that was a cross between exasperation and annoyance.

"Actually I said a lot of things, but never mind. What the hell is wrong with you? You've been mopey for the past few weeks."

Kenta sighed. "It's nothing," he replied.

"Nothing, my foot."

Kenta looked heavenward and sighed. What was he supposed to say? That he was frustrated with the fact that his idol was totally oblivious to his feelings? That no matter what he tried, Takahashi Keisuke would just remain a friend and mentor, and nothing else, thanks to the RX-7 driver's, err, cluelessness?

"It's nothing."

His friend scowled. "You know what you need, Kenta?"

"What?" Kenta asked before he sipped idly from his drink.

"Kenta," his friend said in all seriousness, "you need to get laid."

The S14 driver coughed, spraying his mouthful of Pepsi all over the table. "Whaaaat?" he shrieked, his face a little green and his eyes practically bulging out of his head in a very good imitation of a certain Sanrio frog.

"You need to get laid," his friend repeated, ignoring the droplets of soda on his face.

"T-t-that's ridiculous!" Kenta stammered.

"No, ridiculous is me getting soda sprayed on my face," was the grumbled reply. "Seriously, you need to call up one of those *ahem* escort services, pick a girl, and head off to a hotel somewhere."

"No!"

"Or guy."

"Hey!"

"Well, you don't have to go to a hotel, I suppose you could just do it in the car... but I think they charge you extra for that."

"HEY!" Kenta shouted, blushing a fit to shame the tifosi.

"What?"

"You're crazy!"

"And you're hopeless! Why don't you just give it a try?"

"What if- what if the guys found out?" Kenta blurted the first thought that came to him, "they'd laugh me off the team!"

His friend groaned. "Well if it bothers you so much, then just go to Saitama or Tochigi. I hardly think anyone you know would have bothered to travel that far for some fun," he snorted.

Kenta leaned against the wall of the corner store, his cheeks slightly pink in embarrassment. Here he was, in Saitama waiting for his *escort*, who would arrive in about 15 minutes. Well, at least that was what the girl who answered the call told him. He still could not believe that he had somehow just hopped into a phone booth, glanced at the assorted escort services business cards plastered all over the interior and had dialed the first phone number he saw.

He craned his neck as he looked around, hoping to spot the promised escort. He was told that his escort would be a tall, handsome young guy with longish hair, wearing a blue shirt and black jeans, and so far he had spotted no one fitting that description. He checked his watch; it had been over 20 minutes and yet, nothing. He doubted that his escort could not recognise him, as he was the only person in a white jacket and blue jeans standing like an idiot at the store.

"Oh hell, this was a stupid idea anyway," he muttered as he walked towards his car. He was about to cross the street when a AE86 Levin in 'panda' colours screeched around the corner, its tyres smoking as its driver slammed on the brakes, and slid into the parking space right next to his very own orange Silvia.

Kenta blinked. "Hey wait a sec," he mumbled, "I know that car..."

Akiyama Wataru stepped out of the Toyota, at the same time combing his hair with his hands. He slammed the door shut, locked it and ran across the street and past a very stunned Kenta.

For about five steps, before he froze and turned around, meeting Kenta's own startled gaze.

Kenta's eyes widened when he realised what the *tall, handsome young guy with longish hair* was wearing. "Blue shirt... black jeans..." Kenta squeaked, pointing at Wataru.

Wataru's eyes were almost as big as Kenta's own as he croaked in reply, "White jacket... blue jeans..."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause as both drivers stared at each other before-

"OH SHIT!" they squeaked.

Wataru rubbed his eyes, but unfortunately for him the scene before him stayed the same. Standing right in front of him was that irritating Red Suns Takahashi Keisuke fanboy, dressed in a plain white jacket and faded blue jeans - just like what the escort service operator had described to him. He mentally kicked himself for accepting that assignment, thinking that it was probably one of those 'innocent' college boys who would approach the *ahem* task at hand with much enthusiasm at first, only to chicken out when things got a little too *ahem* heavy. Those were the ones he preferred, since basically he didn't have to do much and still get paid anyway.

Well, Nakamura Kenta was quite probably of that particular category, but still... A slightly disdainful expression appeared on Wataru's features.

Yuck!

Before he could open his mouth, Kenta spoke. "Akiyama... you're not... him, right?" the boy croaked.

"You're not him either, I hope."

Kenta wordlessly held up a beige business card, and what slim hopes Wataru had went out the window. The business card was definitely the one used by the escort service he worked for. "Oh man..." Wataru sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kenta growled.

Wataru quite valiantly resisted the impulse to kick the living snot of the little jerk. He reminded himself that sometimes all it took for the escort service to terminate his services was a complaint from a customer, and Kenta was likely to call up the line and whine about him. Wataru prided himself on the fact that he had never gotten a complaint, only compliments and tips - sometimes marriage and travel offers, especially from those foreign guys.

He eyed the Silvia driver. No way was he getting fired just because this little twat decides to call up his employer and whine about the fact that they know each other!

Wataru blinked, and sighed. He was deluding himself. Actually, what he really wanted to do was to beat Kenta to a pulp and the hell with his *ahem* job. It was only a part-time thing anyway...

But dammit, he needed the money - and this line of work was extremely lucrative, if you didn't mind the fact that sometimes you had to do some very nasty things with some really ugly people. Racing was a very expensive sport, even at an amateur level, and Wataru almost always needed some cash. He couldn't depend on Kazumi's part-time job for everything.

But dammit, why him?! Of all people, him!

Wataru mentally shoved his current urge to commit violence into a box marked 'Later', forced himself to calm down and schooled his features into a neutral expression. "So," he said, and he was rather stunned that it didn't come out as a growl, "where do you want to go?"

"Go?" Kenta looked confused. "Go where?"

"For whatever you have in mind," Wataru replied patiently. However, the look in his eyes indicated that his patience was not limitless.

"Well..." Kenta blushed a brilliant scarlet, and looked extremely mortified for a long moment before he exploded, "I can't believe that you're doing this!"

"Me? Look at you!"

"Working for an escort service - how immoral!"

"You're calling me immoral? What about you? Calling an escort service! Not only you're immoral, you're pathetic and not to mention desperate!"

Kenta went speechless with rage, but recovered - or rather, thought he recovered - and opened his mouth to make a rather impressive speech, but what came out from his mouth was a single outraged, "You-!"

"I'm what?" Wataru snorted.

Kenta huffed and glared at him.

Wataru rolled his eyes and sighed. Now Akiyama, you need the money... if this doesn't work out, at least you can make sure that he doesn't report you or something. "So?"

"So what?"

"So are you gonna drag me to a hotel or not?"

Kenta's eyes widened, but Wataru ignored it and went on, "Look, if you want someone else, fine. Call that number again. I don't care - after you pay me, I'm outta here and I won't say a word about this to anyone, all right?"

"Pay you?"

Wataru groaned inwardly. "Didn't you pay attention to what the operator said? If you don't like the person they sent you, you can ask for another guy, provided you pay the minimum charge to the first guy. It's a compensation for his time and the fact that he could have gotten another client instead of you." He stared at Kenta. "Now pay up."

"No!"

"Fine, so let's go to hotel."

"NO!"

Wataru closed his eyes and groaned.

"Look," Kenta squeaked, "can we just go somewhere and talk first? I..." He blushed.

Wataru raised his hands. "All right, we'll talk. We can talk as long as you want."

Since I'm charging you by the hour.